My family have used 2,4-D instead of Grazon Extra on our property for fireweed control as it is much cheaper and we think as effective as Grazon for broadleaf control.
As with any herbicide you should use proper precautions before, during, and after application including wearing of protective gear and showering after finishing application. As you have desired vegetation on your side also be careful about overspray onto your plants as any of these broadleaf control products are very effective as can be ascertained from dosage eg 3 ml product per 10 litres of water. Also the use of a wetting agent is highly recommended by me and is even part of the application advice, it will ensure good coverage and wetting of the weeds.
Many thanks Grahroll for the suggestion. At the moment my agricultural supplier has Kamber which Iâm using. Iâm sure the problem will persist, so once the current herbicide is finished, will look at Broad Sweep.
A 1 litre container of concentrate of any of the suggested herbicides should be more than enough to manage a fence line for a long time. We use the same herbicide as Gordon suggested (Broad Sweep Broadleaf herbicide - diKamba-M ) with good results, notably on dandelion and bindi and several legumes. Typically providing the soil has good moisture levels the treated weeds show signs of treatment after the first week and need another week or two to die totally.
The other options are also suitable, but can be more effort to mix or handle. âBrush-offâ which has the active herbicide metsulfuron methyl is also slow acting. It can take more than one month for any treated plants to start to die off in earnest, and several months for full effect.
Most states DPI or equivalent departments have online publications and advice on the control of particular common weeds. Also some councils. Example follows.
Chemically âdiKamba-Mâ which is commonly used to selectively control weeds in pasture and lawns. With recommended mixing rates of 20-60ml per 10l depending on the weeds a 1 litre container lasts us several years (selectively used across nearly a hectare of coarse lawn).
It may also be necessary once the plants are sprayed to not mow or cut them until they have totally died. This will take some weeks. The herbicide needs to fully kill the plant and the large tap root.
To help with the spraying we add a bright red marker dye (blue is also available) to our herbicide mix. It helps to see where the spray is going and ensure that the weeds get full coverage. Available in 1 litre containers at the same place you obtain your herbicdes. The red is a vegetable based dye (beetroot).
The other thought here is how much residual seed is left in the soil and are there any other sources of doc seeds in the neighbourâs yard. It has taken us nearly 4 years to reduce the re-occurence of bindi and dandelions from plague to few and far between.
The following guide is accessible online from Byron Council NSW Landcare and may be a useful resource for anyone looking for advice on weed control that does not rely on systemic herbicides.
There are also a number of products marketed commercially as organic or natural herbicides. They sometimes come with remarkable claims of performance, environmental benefits and decades of scientific research and development.
The Landcare guide also includes some advice on how to mix your own herbicides from every day products. They use the same active ingredients commonly found some the commercially marketed all natural organic herbicides.
Eg Contact Organics âHomesafeâ branded herbicides.
The SDS and APVMA approval for Contact Organics products lists the active ingredients as Acetic and optionally Hydrochloric acid. Not listed are any other none hazardous (to humans at least) additive chemicals, most likely surfactants (wetting agents). They might we worth a try, however at $17.50 for 1 litre ready to use, plus p&p it does not appear great value?
